Illustration of 10 Swords in Thoth

ravenest

Hmm... I haven't given that much thought, really. But Coppock writes how people born in this decan (Sun in this Gemini III) usually have many interests and talents, and how they have some problems of making decisions and "being themselves". This kinda agrees with Crowley's view how Queen of Cups reflect their surrounding influences, so you may not really know the real person behind the surface appearances. Of course this reflectivity is because Queen is Water of Water, but still, I see some of that Gemini in Queen of Cups. Does this answer your question? :p

And I really recommend getting 36 Faces! There really isn't a lot of books about the decans, which is a shame. I got my copy from the author's website. I think that looking there is your best bet.


I hadnt pulled out my old decan writings on the cards on this one, I gorgot about that ( Ha! ), so thanks for the reminder.

Looking at my theory that significant stars in a constellation lent their energy to a decan in a sign (or, in another way, decans got their reputation from stars within them or on a similar longitude ) ... and this passed into the cards.

And taking Snuffin's point of a strong Saturnian influence ;

Castor and Pollux both seem significant here;

Castor; " According to Ptolemy it is of the nature of Mercury; to Wilson, Simmonite and Pearce, of Mars, Venus and Saturn; and, to Alvidas, of the Moon, Mars and Uranus. It gives distinction, a keen intellect, success in law and many travels, fondness for horses, sudden fame and honor but often followed by loss of fortune and disgrace, sickness, trouble and great affliction. Its natives are said to be mischievous and prone to violence ." 1.

" Castor is also noted in natal astrology for proneness to mental breakdowns and neurotic distress. " 2.

With Saturn: " Timid, distrustful, eccentric, original mind but difficulty in expression, better writer than speaker, considerable intellectual powers, fond of detail, prejudiced against popular opinions, unfavorable for marriage, peculiar domestic conditions, early sickness of children, gain at end of life through hard work. 3.

Pollox; " It gives a subtle, crafty, spirited, brave, audacious, cruel and rash nature, a love of boxing, dignified malevolence, and is connected with poisons." 4.

" According to its nature, this star is brutal and tyrannical, violent and cruel if in conjunction with the Sun, Moon, Ascendant, MC or with malefics. " 5.

" With Saturn: Bad temper, bitter, sarcastic, loss of arm or leg, loss of parents or trouble through step-parents, much help from a friend, lack of education, sudden death while following occupation through horses or large animals." 6.




1. Fixed Stars and Constellations in Astrology, Vivian E. Robson. p.154

2. The Living Stars, Dr. Eric Morse, p.43

3. Robson, p.155.

4. Robson, p.185-186.

5. Fixed Stars and Their Interpretation, Elsbeth Ebertin, 1928, p.41.

6. Robson, p.187
 

Barleywine

Ahhh ... I see, little hourglasses within the 'calipers' ... I suppose, here, the calipers represent ' that which draws the boundary.

I see the hourglass shapes now. I thought they looked vaguely like human faces but wasn't convinced enough to say so.

I have now had the Thoth 10 of Swords on my desk longer than several other entire decks combined!

Oh, and thanks for increasing my appreciation of Swinburn by a couple of hundred percent. Previously I was only exposed to two of his poems: my favorite, the excerpt from Atalanta In Calydon, "Before the Beginning of Years," and The Triumph of Time. I only knew the former because an old NYC East Village rock band, The Fugs, turned it into a kind of strange "talking blues" back in 1967. But I never forgot it.
 

Barleywine

I think there is something in the paired symbols and not having a different one for each position - like how 'opposing' sephiroth work together ?

I'm not entirely convinced. Coming down the Pillar of Mercy we have Force (Chokmah), Form (Chesed) and Force (Netzach). Coming down the Pillar of Severity, we have Form (Binah), Force (Geburah) and Form (Hod). While Force and Form complement one another at each level of the Tree, it strikes me as improbable that their individual modes of expression would be represented by identical symbols. Maybe the paired hilts are simply a reflection of the general nature of the "duality" in Saturnian terms as Snuffin suggests. It would have been nice to see something from Crowley or others along these same lines. I looked a bit but came up with nothing.
 

ravenest

Some say the BoT seems unapproachable , but at times, compared to the cards depth, it seems a skeleton.
 

Barleywine

Some say the BoT seems unapproachable , but at times, compared to the cards depth, it seems a skeleton.

I've come to the same conclusion, especially about Part One. There was even a brief exchange about it in this thread:

http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=246065&page=5

Crowley certainly left a lot of ground unturned. The geometric "doodles" in the background of the Swords cards, and most notably the 10 of Swords as discussed here, are a perfect example. But have you gone back and compared them to the nearly identical crystalline "wings" behind the throne of the Queen of Swords? Assuming that was painted after the Ten, looks like the "pigeons came home to roost." :)
 

Aunty Anthea

I see 10 swords :D

I can easily see 10 swords :D

The sword with the heart on its handle has been shattered by 4 other swords ???

I know absolutely nothing about the Thoth decks so thought I would take a look. Hoping someone can explain the meaning of the destruction of the heart :confused:

Someone or something is broken hearted, that much I understand but would love to know more :D
 

Aunty Anthea

10 of SWORDS SOLVED

In time truth and justice will prevail but evil, violence and greed will cause heartbreak

Do not all sit there

I want to know

Am I correct ???

Are the thoth cards all as much fun as this :laugh:
 

Barleywine

In time truth and justice will prevail but evil, violence and greed will cause heartbreak

Do not all sit there

I want to know

Am I correct ???

Are the thoth cards all as much fun as this :laugh:

Even more fun! The stories I could tell . . . :)

Because it's Swords and more specifically about the "dispersion " of the Sun's concentrated force due to its transmission through the mercurial lens of Gemini, the idea is more about intellectual disarray than emotional anguish. The Heart is a representation of the solar nature of the sixth sephira, nothing more as far as I can tell, and the shattering of the 6th sword shows (in Crowley's words) "the disruption and disorder of harmonious and stable energy." The energy of this card seems to be too ferocious to be about anything as tender as emotional comfort. My favorite quote regarding this card from the Book of Thoth is: "It shows reason run mad, ramshackle riot of soulless mechanism; it represents the logic of lunatics and (for the most part) of philosophers." Not a whole lot of use in practical terms, I know, but he does get his point across!
 

thorhammer

Solved?

I can easily see 10 swords :D

The sword with the heart on its handle has been shattered by 4 other swords ???
By eight other swords, actually. Per BoT:
Book of Thoth said:
the points One to Five and Seven to Nine touch and shatter the central sword (six) which represents the Sun, the heart, the child of Chokmah and Binah
The card's title (NOT keyword, please, but Title, as in Earl of Swindon) is "Lord of Ruin". Of course it's going to be gory, and distressing. The Sun's glorious, relentless, all-consuming energy is dissipated and corrupted by the paranoiac, jittery influence of mercurial Gemini. What happens when you hold a faceted crystal up to strong sunlight? The Rays are split, fractured. The points blind you. The white light is brought low into its component parts, and perhaps, even, destructive fire can be brought forth if the Rays are concentrated too much.

Aunty Anthea said:
I know absolutely nothing about the Thoth decks so thought I would take a look. Hoping someone can explain the meaning of the destruction of the heart :confused:

Someone or something is broken hearted, that much I understand but would love to know more :D
The thing is, trying to read this deck like the storyboards of the RWS is ultimately fruitless. The messages here are more conceptual, much less literal. This card represents an energy and a tendency, rather than a specific event or person. Yes
In time truth and justice will prevail but evil, violence and greed will cause heartbreak
See above. You're simultaneously trying to over complicate and gloss over this card's message. It speaks very much of one's sense of self, perhaps of self-destructive mental habits or attitudes, of overdoing something to breaking point. Much effort has been expended and all we have left is a mess. Very meta.
Are the thoth cards all as much fun as this :laugh:
Fun? Who's having fun? We here in the Thoth Department do not have fun that we are aware of, ma'am.
 

thorhammer

Barleywine - that's my favourite excerpt from this card's blurb, too! He didn't pull any punches, did he?